By Mark Shepherd Santa Monica
Kudos to Bill Bauer (SMDP, Oct. 9, page 4) for telling it like it is regarding the huge expensive waste Prop.V would be to city residents — homeowners and renters alike. He is right on the money with his assertion that most cities consider stormwater management to be an essential service paid by the general fund, while our city wastes core money for non-essentials, such as enlarging its public housing empire.
Who is the biggest landlord in Santa Monica? City Hall, by far, through its housing agency. Who is the biggest developer? City Hall. Who benefits from this multi-million-dollar largess? Not Santa Monicans.
Particularly insidious is, as Bauer noted, the fact that if Prop. V passes, the City Council would have power to enact whatever taxes and fees it would like down the road. This city already operates a gold-plated trash and sewer business. But parts of our fair city remain dangerously filthy, especially the alleys. Graffiti ugliness assaults us all around.
Have you noticed your outrageously high city utility bills lately? You have if you own property. But renters, rest assured, you will pay these costs as well. And we are held captive by this city trash monopoly. We can’t use private haulers, though they are much less expensive.
The ruling party, the SMRR, uses issues such as “environment” and “affordable housing” like the President uses fear and the war on terror -- rhetoric appropriated to increase their own power. On the surface, who wouldn’t agree that lower rent is a good thing, or clean beaches? But that’s not really what’s in play here. Prop. V is yet another way for the city to take money from your family, and would become, if adopted, yet another reason why living here is more and more expensive. Our local ruling party would again use it as a scare tactic for its socialist tax-increasing agenda and bureaucracy empire-building. While they’re busy telling us they’re trying to save the planet, the SMRR gang is turning Santa Monica into Beverly Hills/Skid Row West.
When is enough enough? When will you see the panhandling drunk or the alley defecator or the doorway masturbator or the drug-store mugger or the trash-can scavenger -- and say no more? When do you reject the massive surcharges attached to your utility bill month after month, while the beaches are still unsafe to swim? How about election day?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 11, 2006. Read the original PDF.